5 Ways to Build a Personal Advisory Board

It is the fool who is wise in his own eyes and believes he only needs his own counsel. However, building success in your life and career requires one to be open to the wise advice of others.

An important strategy for success is build a team of trusted advisers around you to provide guidance and wisdom as you face important decisions in your life and career.

But how to go about building a personal advisory board? Here are five ways to develop your own group of advisers.

Your boss and colleagues at work. Start close to home. If you have a good relationship with your supervisor continue to develop it and seek to meet regularly for advice and guidance in your career. This can be particularly useful if you plan to stay in your current job and move ahead. Or you might start a regular monthly meeting with colleagues to share and advise on career challenges.

LinkedIn contacts. You don’t have to meet in person for someone to become a trusted adviser. You can seek out guidance from your LinkedIn connections, along with following influencers and reading great advice from experts. This can be true of your contacts on other social media, as well, including Facebook and Twitter.

Networking group. You can find often find a local networking club, special interest group, or other type of meetup online. Many of these groups will have gatherings near you and can provide great opportunities to expand your network, acquire knowledge about your field or industry, and develop relationships that can turn into a mentorship or advisory situation.

Informal groups. On a local level you might also join a group at your church, a neighborhood book club, or a beer night with the guys. All of these types of meet-ups have the potential to bring you into contact with someone who can become a close adviser.

Selective media. As mentioned before, you don’t have to meet in person with someone, or even know them on a personal level, to gain important advice and wisdom from them. Your own group of personal advisers can include podcasters, authors, filmmakers, and even musicians. You can look to trusted magazines, web sites, or newspapers to provide inspiration and advice for you in your life and career.

Mix it up. Some of your advisers should definitely be people you know and can meet with on a regular basis, or at least, get on the phone with. But you don’t have to limit yourself. Think creatively about how to expand and develop your own personal advisory board.

If you already have a board of advisors or are building one, who is on it? Let us know how you built your personal advisory board.

Daily Leap Career Video of the Week: 5 Terrible (But Common) Career Tips

Each week we present our Daily Leap Career Video of the Week. The video we share presents news or advice related to career and life development, searching for a job, the economy and employment, and other career-related topics.

In the video below, from The Financial Diet, Chelsea Fagan shares some common career advice that career experts suggest you might want to avoid. Take a look.

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: The Importance of Moving Past Adversity

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share them so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

• The Importance of Moving Past Adversity: "The future is yet to be determined and can be influenced by what you do today. Today is the only day that really matters."

• 5 Creative Interview Questions to Ask Job Applicants: "But how can you use the interview process to ensure your company hires the absolute best person for the job? Specifically, are you asking the right questions, and how do you know if you're hearing the right answers?"

• The Best Advice for Leaders in the New Year: "We learn through the stories of those who experience something firsthand. Real stories, recollections, have an unvarnished transparency. They tend to be chock full of great examples of how to do or not do something."

• The Simple Way to Turn a Stressful Job Interview into a Relaxed Conversation: "Getting a hiring manager feeling comfortable talking to you must be part of that plan if you want to stand out and get the job."
• When Burnout is a Sign You Should Leave Your Job: "When the conditions and demands you encounter at work — like workload, level of autonomy, and norms of interpersonal behavior — exceed your capacity to handle them, you’re at risk of burning out."

5 Songs to Get You Motivated for Your Work Day

Let’s face it, we don’t always wake up excited to get to our job and, on some mornings, we could benefit from a little kickstart to get motivated.

Thankfully, music has just the power we need to give us an added boost of energy to get us up and going and out the door with motivation to tackle anything we’re about to face at work.

With that in mind here are five songs to add to your morning playlist:

Eye of the Tiger by Survivor 

If this song is good enough to motivate Rocky Balboa it’s good enough for you and the video just might inspire you to add a beret to your work wardrobe!

Success by Iggy Pop

This song will have you pulling into the office declaring “here comes success”!

And if you’re into 80s Brit-Pop check out the version by Duran Duran.

 

Don’t Stop Believin’ by Journey

You’ve likely heard this song a million times, but it will still get you believing you can make it through another day.

Get Back Up Again by Anna Kendrick 

If you have kids you’ve likely heard this song from the Trolls movie soundtrack but you can’t beat these lyrics for inspiration: “Hey, I’m not giving up today, there’s nothing getting in my way, and if you knock, knock me over, I will get back up again.”

Beautiful Day by U2 

What playlist is complete without some U2? It is a beautiful day, after all, so get out there and make the most of it!

Which songs would you add to your motivational playlist?

Daily Leap Career Video of the Week: 3 Words That Will Change Your Life

Each week we present our Daily Leap Career Video of the Week. The video we share presents news or advice related to career and life development, searching for a job, the economy and employment, and other career-related topics.

The video below, from Modern Health Monk, discusses the difference between successful and unsuccessful people and shares three words that have the power to change your life and career.

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: Three Tips For Staying Focused And Productive When You're Feeling Overwhelmed

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share them so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

• Three Tips For Staying Focused And Productive When You're Feeling Overwhelmed: "The second tip I’ve developed is to honestly prioritize your goals and acknowledge the things that can cause you to become distracted."

• 4 Tips to Detach from Your Phone: "Ban phones from the dinner table or family gatherings. Research shows having a phone on the table distracts people—even if it’s not theirs."

• 12 Ways to Automate Your Business and Boost Efficiency: "Having a team that takes ownership of your business is paramount. Set clear policies and procedures, and encourage their input."

• 9 Strategies to Finally Get Your Email Under Control: "Draw clearer boundaries by scheduling email into your day with defined start and stop times. Again, you can only reply to so many emails within a particular session, so you naturally limit the number of replies that are going to hit you later."
• 7 Simple Ways to Avoid Distraction at Work and Home: "At the start of each day at work, my first task is to write down the top three things that need to be completed that day. Three tasks might not sound like a lot, but with the typical number of meetings, emails and work “emergencies” I have every day it can be quite challenging."

5 Ways Attending a Conference Can Benefit Your Career

Attending an industry conference is a great way to move forward in your career and it should be something you plan on every year.

If it’s not part of your repertoire of career-enhancing tools, consider the following five ways that attending a conference can boost your career. 

   

Learn what’s new in your industry. This is obvious but should not be taken for granted. Attending a conference often provides opportunities to learn about the cutting-edge technologies, theories, and practices that will impact your job and industry in the coming months and years. Understanding what the trends are will help you as you take on a more active leadership role at your work place.

Meet and learn from industry game-changers. Large, national conferences usually offer the chance the hear from well-known (and sometimes, famous) experts in your field or industry. Be brave and ask questions or seek out opportunities to speak with these experts one-on-one. The speakers and presenters at conferences are usually approachable and enjoy sharing their knowledge and expertise with attendees.

Expand your professional network. Of course, attending a conference allows you to network and expand your contacts nationally (and even globally, depending on the conference). Come prepared with business cards and curiosity about the others in attendance. Prepare some discussion questions in advance, research individuals you are interested in meeting, and consider contacting them ahead of the conference to set up conversations over coffee or lunch.

Discover job openings in your field. At some conferences there are opportunities to meet with prospective employers and interview for open positions. If that’s not the case at the conference you attend, it is still possible to learn about available jobs through conversations with other attendees and from company representatives. You might even discover a job board and notifications made on social media

Recharge the batteries. Struggling with motivation? Feeling uninspired or burned out? Considering a job change? Many times, attending a conference can provide a needed boost—from an inspiring keynote address, to the new technology that will save your business time and money, to the interesting new colleagues you connect with. You might just find a renewed enthusiasm for your job, along with some new ideas to apply to the office, when you return.

Research the key conferences in your field or industry and make plans to attend at least one event this year. 

Daily Leap Career Video of the Week: 3 Questions to Ask of Your Life & Career

Each week we present our Daily Leap Career Video of the Week. The video we share presents news or advice related to career and life development, searching for a job, the economy and employment, and other career-related topics.

In the video below, Brendon Burchard recounts how a tragic heartbreak and a near-death experience led him to discover the three most important questions you can ask yourself.

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: Why People Really Quit Their Jobs

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share them so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

• Why People Really Quit Their Jobs: "The decision to exit was because of the work. They left when their job wasn’t enjoyable, their strengths weren’t being used, and they weren’t growing in their careers."

• Unpopular Career Advice that Might Save Your Career: "Practice patience in the new year; just because you aren't where you want to be right now, doesn't mean you're not well on your way to getting there."

• How Your Office Should Recognize Martin Luther King, Jr. Day: "Gather a group of coworkers—or make your own plan—and contact local nonprofits to see how you may help them."

• Quit Your Job and Move Abroad: "It's the ultimate fantasy: Escape the 9-5 by moving to a place where it's so cheap you barely need to work."
• 5 Must-Have Traits of Successful Leaders: " In today’s business climate, you are quickly becoming a dinosaur if you believe that the personal side of leadership is unnecessary or unimportant. You are managing people, not robots."

6 Ways to Learn More to Advance Your Career

It is difficult to keep up with the pace of change. Technology becomes more advanced daily. In order to be effective and successful in our careers we need to humbly seek to increase our understanding, learning more about our chosen field, and increasing our knowledge about the world and other cultures.

Consider the following strategies to help you learn more this year and be more effective in your career.

Be a discerning reader (and listener). Many of us get lost in the world of Facebook or Twitter without getting much beyond celebrity gossip, irritating trolls, or cute puppy videos. Instead, make an effort to limit your time on social media and grab a high-quality magazine, such as the New Yorker or Monocle. Make a practice of reading good books that bring you into unfamiliar (and uncomfortable) territory.

The same applies to your listening habits. Download a great podcast or audiobook and listen in on your commute, rather than sports radio or a vapid talk show.

Seek out a mentor. Find your Jedi Master or, at least, someone who is smart and knowledgeable in your field and learn what you can from them. People are more generous than you might think and are often eager to share with others the lessons they have learned. Be bold, take the initiative, and invite a would-be mentor out to lunch today. 

Ask for feedback from your boss. You might be one of those who tries to avoid his or her boss. This might be a common strategy, but it won’t aid your career. What you want, and need, is straightforward and honest feedback from your manager. This will enable you to understand your blind spots and weaknesses and become a more effective employee.

Watch intentionally. Don’t come home from work and mindlessly turn on the television. Watch with a purpose. Take a look at that documentary you’ve queued up on Netflix, or check out the new series on PBS. Or put aside the screens and grab a good book.

Take a class. Yes, this is an obvious one but should not be overlooked. You don’t need to spend a lot of money (or any at all), nor do you need to make a six-week commitment. Many classes are free—at your library, community center, church, or online—and require no more than an evening of your time or a few hours on a Saturday morning. You have many options and taking advantage of them can provide great benefits to your career.

Teach what you’re learning. One of the best ways to truly learn a subject is to teach it. Share what you’ve learned by providing a brief workshop at your place of employment or train your teammates
in a special team meeting. This will reinforce what you’ve learned and make it more real to you.

Commit to learning more this year by implementing these strategies and you’ll likely experience more success at work and at home.

Daily Leap Career Video of the Week: 5 Ways to Create a Strategic Life Plan

Each week we present our Daily Leap Career Video of the Week. The video we share presents news or advice related to career and life development, searching for a job, the economy and employment, and other career-related topics.

In the video below from Success magazine, Simon T.Bailey shares how to create a strategic life plan, starting with asking this question: "What is the value you’re bringing to every day, every week, every month? Learn more in the video below.

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: 7 Steps to Stay Motivated for the Long Haul

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share them so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

• 7 Steps to Stay Motivated for the Long Haul: "For a resolution to stick, it must be aligned with your core values and hold deep personal meaning that you connect with on a deep emotional level."

• 5 Ways to Pursue the Job You Want: "Mentoring has many personal benefits, too. Learning to listen, to creatively approach problems or explanations, or to work with people who are different from you are all important leadership skills you’ll need in order to advance."

• 8 Steps to Stay Focused and Reach Your Goals: "Instead of trying to do a million things at once, take a step back and tackle one task at a time. And while your inclination might be to start your day with busy work ... get your brain moving by challenging yourself with with a bigger, more creative endeavor first thing."

• 7 Ways to Overcome Toxic Self-Criticism: "The best way to change the channel is by getting active. Find an activity that will temporarily distract you from the negative tapes playing in your head. Go for a walk, call a friend to talk about a different subject, or tackle a project you've been putting off. But refuse to listen to your brain beat you up."
• 15 Habits That Could Be Hurting Your Business Relationships: " It’s hard to convey your investment in a conversation if you’re glancing at your phone every 30 seconds. Always be sure to give people your undivided attention."

Why You Should Create a Personal Mission Statement

Many companies and businesses have a corporate mission statements, defining the primary aim of the company, and serving to guide its decisions. These mission statements are often impressed upon new employees as a way to ensure that all employees have a shared sense of purpose.

But have you created your own personal mission statement? If not, take a few minutes this week to craft one. A personal mission statement can benefit your life and career in several ways.  

Provides focus. Your mission statement enables you to think through what you value most and becomes your own personal guiding document for you to live your life by. It takes into account what you value most and how your skills, talents, and interests can be implemented to make a difference in the world. Your personal mission statement enables you to make a clear-headed decision about your career goals and aspirations and helps resolve conflicts about which job to take.

Provides motivation. Your personal mission statement provides you with a kick in the morning, helping you stay driven to get up and do the work that matters to you. After that long vacation, having a clear sense of your purpose and mission allows you to eagerly get back on the job with enthusiasm and energy.

Provides balance. Your life is not your job and career and your personal mission statement allows you to bring clarity to you and your life. This is not called a “Career Mission Statement”, after all. A personal mission statement will help you attain balance in your life and career by ensuring that you bring attention to those things that matter most to you in life, with your job being part of that equation but not the exclusive focus.

Not sure how to start? An article at Forbes provides a few examples from CEOs: “To serve as a leader, live a balanced life, and apply ethical principles to make a significant difference” (Denise Morrison), “To use my gifts of intelligence, charisma, and serial optimism to cultivate the self-worth and net-worth of women around the world” (Amanda Steinberg), or "I want to make it so that every person in the world can afford to start their own business" (John Rampton). Take a look at the article for more examples.

Another great resource is the mission statement builder at Franklin Covey. It provides some examples of mission statements and walks you through the process of building your own.

Create your personal mission statement this week for renewed focus, motivation, and balance in your life and career.

Daily Leap Career Video of the Week: The 5 Rules of Email You Need to Know

Each week we present our Daily Leap Career Video of the Week. The video we share presents news or advice related to career and life development, searching for a job, the economy and employment, and other career-related topics.

In the video below from Inc. learn five guidelines for getting a better response to your emails.